New Salat Article
-
Peace,
I'm about 8 years late to the party, but just out of curiosity, are the views in the original post still upheld by anyone here including Layth? Or have they since changed? I'm only inquiring as I see the salat articles are all back to a physical daily act, unless I'm not seeing this one there and more people have contributed their views since.
Just wondering where people stand, that's all.
May peace be with you all.
happened to me the same
the 1st post was great, made perfect sense, and it s exactly what i think, but than i see different posts , in the 1st post salat isn't a ritual at all, but than it sounds like a ritual
well, salat isn't a ritual at all, that is my conviction. and salat to me is where we see the senat arguing about the problems of the nation. remarq that in the muslim countries, the mosques are full of believers in the salat rituals, and the senats/congresses the rooms are empty of deputies /representatives/congressmen, while full of a few corrupt people, who ignore that, it is the real salat they are using to serve westerners and to opress their own people.
I believe this was the whole point of making the Salat a religious rituel, and it was invented by westerners frensh?british when they destroyed the largest muslim empire in history, they did it so never muslims serve their copuntries and their people , and thus, looses salat -
That is an incorrect asumption. The setting/dusk is a part/edge, just like dawn is a part/edge. What I am saying is that, according to the Quran, there are more than 2 such parts - which makes 11114 show in a different light.
This is an incorrect assumption. In Arabic plural can be used for dual as you can see here in "qolubukoma" where qolub is plural despite that it is talking about two entities and would have normally been "qalbykoma".
There are many other examples.
Peace,
Ayman
-
Peace Layth,
Your article on Salat was very interesting. I am still a little confused though. Are you saying that Salat is only conducted when there are issues to sort out? It's interesting because your article coincides with a question I asked about whether Salat should be said alone or in a group or either. I asked this, because I normally pray with my husband, but when I have my own private issues to sort out, I am loathe to say them in an audible voice. Besides, our voices would clash, were he also to have his own private issues to voice. Therefore, I feel your interpretation must be on the right lines.
As I said, I am confused. If we only hold Salat in a group to discuss issues, does this mean the ritualistic Salat is not required. I ask this, because of the verse about when Solomon forgot to pray before sundown. There is no mention of anyone else taking part in this prayer with him.
Peace.
Dawn.
-
Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those who are with him are hard against the unbelievers merciful one to another. You see them bowing, prostrating, seeking blessing, bounty and good pleasure (of God). Their mark is on their faces, the trace of prostration. That is their likeness in the Torah, and their likeness in the Gospel as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and strengthens it, and it grows strong and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that through them it may enrage the unbelievers. God has promised those of them who believe and do deeds of righteousness forgiveness and a mighty wage(4829)
Genesis 171-4 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Deuteronomy 56-9 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before Me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them nor serve them...
Psalm 956 O come, let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Revelations 711-12 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Joshua 76-7 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
Numbers 1620-22 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with the all of the congregation?
Numbers 206 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
Matthew 2636-39 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gesthemane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be very sorrowful and heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou Wilt.
Then the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord. (Genesis, 2426)
...So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped. (2 Chronicles, 2930)
and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord?(Genesis, 244
.... Then the people bowed down and worshipped...did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. (Exodus, 1227-2
and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped. (Exodus, 431)
and bowed down...three times, with his face to the ground. (1 Samuel, 2041)
Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah, 86)
Abram bowed with his face touching the ground...(Genesis, 173)
When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. (Genesis, 2452)
Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped. (Exodus, 34
When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. (Numbers, 164)
the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened. (Numbers, 244)
Then Joshua bowed to the ground in reverence...(Joshua, 514)
When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord?He is God! The Lord?He is God!"(1 Kings, 1839)
when I bow down in the temple...may the Lord forgive your servant for this. (2 Kings, 51
they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord. (1 Chronicles, 2920)
they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord...(2 Chronicles, 73)
... the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshipped... ordered... to praise the Lord. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped. (2 Chronicles, 2929-30)
Then he fell to the ground in worship and said ?Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.? (Job, 120-21)
-
salam to all who contribute to this important article.
i am sorry to express my ignorance about all this fact from QURAN and still practicisng the same old way.
i need to come to the right path , is there any person can help me by providing the step by step method and timing of
prayer , how could i pray . i have not read all the reply and the texts but i do read quite a number and found in a confused situation .
this is because the whole thing is a great change for me and still are not satisfied with the facts that what ever we known are wrong .
please someone/ wise one/ senior members do some help. now i cannot perform my salat and i am feeling guilt that i am not thanking my creator ALLAH THOUGH I REMEMBER HIM every time.
peace to all brickwall -
Peace Sahush,
I know exactly how you feel, hence my last post. However, what I have done so far is my husband and I had an issue to sort out between us and we discussed it through salat. We arranged to meet having done wudu etc. We followed all the rules of prayer, low voice etc., and quoted the words we are supposed to quote. Instead of the normal falling out, we found ourselves observing very carefully and being very aware of the rules of salat. Result? An exremely productive outcome in the name of God. Like you though, I am acutely aware and conscious that I am not doing the 'normal' contact prayers. I do find myself remembering God more though, because I am not doing it 3 times daily in a ritualistic manner. I find I am remembering him appropriately. Thanking him automatically when good things happen, calling on him in times of danger, asking for his help when I am nervous etc - I do all this in my head or under my breath.
It would be useful and interesting to hear what others do.
Peace,
Dawn.
-
ASA Layth, great article! opened my eyes to a better understanding of salat. I recently had a close friend call and state to me during a recent visit for morning prayers, that he spoke with a Hafiz and scholar who told him there are (5) prayers mentioned in the Qur'an and he would share with me soon.
The Hafiz told him that to establish salat means more than just prayer. I wish I could have spoken with the scholar myself.
Thanks for all of the wonderful things you have done over the years. May Allah reward you in this life and the next.
Charles A.S. Hawkins Jr.
-
i have read post 1 and i am amused.. however i dont agree.
sometings i get the feeling that this crazy generation is intent on making up new age translations or rules regarding worshipping god - we forget to look to our history to help us find the truth of the creator.
the Quran is all we need.this word sillah is the bone of contention - someone has come up with it to say this is the root word for salat - meaning assembly..
the hadith mention at the start - All this is irrelevant ? since we cannot honestly and with truth confirm this. What is a fact by my limited understanding is that we are enjoined to uphold the deen of ibraham ? 4213, 2135, 16123.
Practices have been given to mankind since the time of Abraham - so It makes no logical sense for me that salat is a new introduction and by implying for muhammed to bargain the number of salat per day for the people. No where in the Quran can I find a verse concerning itself with frequency in terms of number of salat other than frequency in terms of when to perform salat. ? which based on my current understanding is 3 ? fajr wusta and ishah.we are also caught up with the duality in translation of the word - salat and dua.
It is a matter of interpretation for want of better words trying to find words that people can connect with - if this error was not made or simplistic generalised word used for Arabic in the Quran maybe we wont be having this thought - Dua( which is regarded as prayer) and Salat( which is also generally regarded as prayer) are two different things.for me dua is a call/ request/wish/supplication
salat is prayer in the sense of an obligation/directive to God.Dal, ayn waw.
The triliteral root dl ayn ww ( و occurs 212 times in the Quran, in seven derived forms
? 170 times as the form I verb da (ا
? three times as the form VIII verb yaddau (ُ
? 22 times as the noun du (ء
? four times as the noun daw (ٰ
? six times as the noun dawat (ة
? three times as the active participle d (ع
? four times as the active participle d (ىsee link for the full gist
http//corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=dEwsalat on the other hand
The triliteral root d lm ww ( و occurs 99 times in the Quran, in four derived forms?12 times as the form II verb all (ٰ
?83 times as the noun alat (ة
?once as the noun muallan (ى
?three times as the form II active participle mualln (نhttp//corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=Slw
once we have the two put in their place then their is no issue in seeing that - one can call - Dawata - on God for anything at anytime for God is omnipresent and everywhere,
where salat on the other hand whose purpose is rembrance of God - salata kanat ala-l -muminina kitaban mawqutan - is done at prescribed times - 4103.2441 - Alam tara anna Allaha yusabbihu lahu man fee alssamawati waalardi waalttayru saffatin kullun qad AAalima salatahu watasbeehahu waAllahu AAaleemun bima yafAAaloona
Do not see you that Allah ? Glorify Him whoever (is) in the heavens and the earth and the birds (with) wings outspread? Each one verily knows its prayer and its glorification. And Allah (is) All-Knower of what they do.
In this verse ? you have translated safaat ? as perched together ? but I am more inclined t the usage of word ? wings outspread.
safaat is found in 371 - Waalssaffati saffan-
By those lined (in) rowsand
6719 - Awalam yaraw ila alttayri fawqahum saffatin wayaqbidna ma yumsikuhunna illa alrrahmanu innahu bikulli shayin baseerun
Do not they see the birds above them spreading (their wings) and folding? Not holds them except the Most Gracious. Indeed, He (is) of every thing All-Seer.
It is a hypothesis that is made in my view without any proof ? In no way does the verse imply that when birds are perched together they ARE ACTUALLY IN SALAT/ASSEMBLY OR WHATEVER ELSE.
Human beings and birds are not the same ? because a human being can bow does not mean a bird has to bow. ? this is wrong reasoning by my understanding ? birds have two legs, they fly, they have wings - humans can?t fly and have no wings. The mannerism of a bird and a human is not a just comparison ?
What of the issue of glorification? ? why is there silence on it ? salat and glorification for me goes hand in hand as the purpose of salat is to Glorify God.(rememberance of God).with regards to shuyaib - another theory - which everyone is entitled to ? all I will say is do not take the verse out of context to suit whatever purpose/agenda. ? read from 1184 to 1195 to get a true grasp of the lesson from this revealation.
Sillah - what root arabic is being used - sad or sin? - i cannot find anywhere of its use in the Quran of the word sillah -
-
Death (5106) ? this verse just states to detain the witnesses after salat to get them to swear on God that they will be equitable/just ? in no way does it infer as you indicate.
-
War (4101-102) - gives guidance re travelling and one fears for his safety ? just states prayer can be shortened ? verse 100 talks about emigrating in the cause of God ? and I guess 101/102 follows in that same thread.
Again I will advocate - do not take the verse out of context ? from 4100 to 4104 - there is the issue of verse 103 which is not addressed ? after prayer ? remembrance of God. -
Treason (9-1-5) ? notably for me 95 talks of the requirements/tennents of God ? Belief( in this case repenting by the mushriks) establish Salat and establish Zakat ? same with the directives from 985
the purpose of salat has been stated as remembrance of God - which involves ruku and sujood.
sujood - sin, jim, dal
The triliteral root sn jm dl ( د occurs 92 times in the Quran, in four derived forms?35 times as the form I verb sajada (َ
?six times as the nominal sujd (د
?28 times as the noun masjid (د
?23 times as the active participle sjid (د
http//corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=sjdrukuh - ra, kaf, ain
The triliteral root r kf ayn ( ع occurs 13 times in the Quran, in two derived forms?five times as the form I verb yarkau (ُ
?eight times as the active participle rki (ع
http//corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=rkEall in all interesting read which is amusing - nevertheless - to God belongs all praise and all worship -
to those that want - call an assembly and dont bow or prostrate and discuss affairs amongst yourselves - as long as it is dedicated to God alone - Good for you
to those that want - bow and prostrate - as long as it is dedicated to God alone - Good for you
to those that want - sone assemble, dont bow and prostrate - as long as it is dedicated to God alone - God for you.Each choses which path to follow - we all want to race towards righteousness - God all knowing knows those who are serving him and trying to follow his words.
one last note - our faith/religion/worship is not a new thing - this started with Abraham. Our God is one God - why does it seem to me that we are not bothered with what was before in trying to reconcile our practices/obligations but we are intent on coming up with new found idealogy.
there is nothing new under the sun... look back to pave way for the future - look at the jews and prayer - they always bowed/prostrated - was there any such thing as a assembly for discussion.
we inherited what was given to them - we were not given anyhting new... we were asked to uphold and worship God... -
-
Hi chawk1955 et al,
Perhaps this can help
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9603111.0I provide there a lot of links where you can learn to perform and inform yourself about prayers and salat, beside my personal thoughts...
La ilaha il Allah
-
Peace All,
When we are asked as Koran Aloners, " How do you know how to pray by using the Koran alone", surely the answer must be that there are no details of how to pray (if Salat = something else), because Salat must obviously not mean prayer. A
fter All, the Koran is fully detailed, unless we don't believe what God tells us in the Koran!Dawn.
-
Salaath means indulge in his/her work or business or to earn for their daily needs.
This should be carried out with good thoughts / ethics .
Hence God is asking us not to sit ideal and to waste our time.
He is telling the mankind to do our work and to earn for our daily needs.
Thus our Salaath is rewarded daily with our pay/ wages.
This is very simple. First we have to free our mind from the traditional prayer and read the READING again and again with the proper translation. -
Peace Msdsadic,
What is the proper translation. It baffles me as a non-arabic speaker, that you guys don't even understand it. Then what hope for the rest of us?
Dawn.
-
Peace,
I've been search for literal translation of salla, but still cannot find the right word to explain what salla is.
So I just try to grab the meaning of salat by reading the following verses7531 fal saddaqa wal sall
7532 walkin kadhaba watawall7531 For he did not believe nor salla
7532 But he denied and turned away.So the saddaqa is the opposite of kadhaba, and salla is the opposite of turned away. So the word represent the salla here is straightaway or commitment.
But sometimes I found in Quran the word of Salla means to straightaway of something or commitment on something, depend on the context of verses.
Here is the examples
489 They hope that you will reject as they have rejected, then you will be the same. Do not take any of them as allies until they emigrate in the cause of God. If they turn away, then take them and kill them wherever you find them; and do not take from them any ally or supporter.
490 Except for those who reach a people with whom you have a covenant, or if they come to you with a reluctance in their chests to fight you or to fight their own people. Had God willed He would have given them strength and they would have fought you. But if they retire from you, and do not fight you, and they offer you peace; then God does not make for you a path against them.The verses above talking about war against the Rejecter and also covenant of peace with the Rejecter. Starting from here, we will talk about the commitment (Salla) of the covenant of peace.
and let see the next verses
4101 And if you go forth in the land, then there is no harm that you taqsur mina l-salati, if you fear that the rejecters will try you. The rejecters are to you a clear enemy.
4102 And if you are with them (the rejecters) and you lead salata for them, then let a group from among them stand with you and let them bring their weapons; and when they have sajad then let them be behind you; and let a group who has not yet yusallu come and falyusallu with you, and let them be wary and let them bring their weapons with them. The rejecters hope that you would neglect your weapons and goods so they can come upon you in one blow. There is no sin upon you if you are impeded by rainfall, or if you are ill, that you place down your weapons. And be wary. God has prepared for the rejecters a humiliating retribution.I let the word solaa untranslated so we can see how it works.
let's analyze the first untranslated words taqsuru minalsalati.
taqsuru come from triliteral root qaf-sad-ra means shortened, ceased, restrained, palace, fortress.
In this context, which the salaa means commitment regarding the covenant of peace, so the best word to describe taqsuru is restrained or ceased.
4101 And if you go forth in the land, then there is no harm that you restrained the commitment (of peace), if you fear that the rejecters will try you. The rejecters are to you a clear enemy.
and the next verse will be
4102 And if you are with them (the rejecters) and you lead the commitment (of peace) for them, then let a group from among them stand with you and let them bring their weapons; and when they have /agreed/consented/submissive (sajadū then let them be behind you; and let a group who has not yet committed come and committed with you, and let them be wary and let them bring their weapons with them. The rejecters hope that you would neglect your weapons and goods so they can come upon you in one blow. There is no sin upon you if you are impeded by rainfall, or if you are ill, that you place down your weapons. And be wary. God has prepared for the rejecters a humiliating retribution.
So the Salla here is about comitment to covenant of peace. In 4101, the prophet has been warned to restrained his commitment (of peace). In case another Rejecter (who didn't commit to the covenant of peace) will strike back, along the journey to the place of meeting, and during the meeting. The restrained commitment is meant to be wary, since the prophet could not 100% sure about the rejecter position.
and the next verse
4103 Then, if you have completed commitment (restrained one), remember God while standing, or sitting, or on your sides. Then, if you are secure, hold the commitment (full commitment). Indeed, the commitment for the believers is a Book that is scheduled.
another example is about commitment on trading.
the prerequisites here is to understand that
Yaumil Jumuah/Gathering Day (629) = Yawmil Jam'i/Gathering Day (649) = Yaumul Taghabuni/Day of mutual gain and loss (in the context of trade) (649) = Yaumil Qiyamati/the Day of assembly (4526) = Yaumun la bay'un/ No trading day (2254).
So the Yaumil Jumuah (gathering day) must be understood that it is not Friday or the sixth day in a week, but it's the day which hasn't come yet, and will be coming someday and also known as the day of ressurection.
Now let's get into the verse
629 yayyuh alladhnaman idh ndiya lilssalati min yawmil-jumuati fa-is'aw il dhik'ri l-lahi wadhar l-bay'a dhlikum khayrun lakum in kuntum ta'lamna
629 O you who believe, when the call is made for the commitment of the day of gathering, then you shall hasten towards the remembrance of God, and cease all trading. This is better for you, if only you knew.Beware that the verse has used the word min before the yaumil jumuah to prevent the meaning "at the day". So it should be "of the day".
There are three things in the verse
- Commitment to the yaumil jumuah
- Get back to the dhikr'i (N) or remambrance of God
- Cease all trading
So context here is about trading. How to perform trading according to the dhikri (remembrance of god/Al Quran). As you can see in 629 and 649, that Yawmil Jumuah in 629 has the same word with the Yawmil Jam'i in 649. And in 649 you can find that Yawmil Jam'i also known as Yawmun Taghabuni, or The Day mutual gain or loss or cheat in trading, the same thing you can find in 2254, Yaumun la bay'un.
649 The Day when He will gather you; the Day of Gathering; that is the Day of mutual gain and loss. And whoever believes in God and does good works, He will forgive his sins, and will admit him into estates with rivers flowing beneath them, abiding therein eternally. Such is the great triumph.
What we can find that Salaa in 629 means commitment to prepare ourself before the day of gathering (also known as no trading day) has come. So we must understand how to trade correctly according to the Al Quran.
Why we need to cease the trading then?
It's caused by one of basic principles of trading is not easy to understand for some people as shown in the following verse
2275 Those who consume usury (riba) do not rise except as one being influenced by the touch of the devil. That is because they have said "Trade is the same as usury (riba)." While God has made trade lawful, and He has made usury unlawful. Whoever has received understanding from His Lord and ceases, then he will be forgiven for what was before this and his case will be with God. But whoever returns, then they are the people of the Fire, in it they will abide.
So the believer must stop for a while to understand how the trading works, how the trading different than usury.
And if the commitment has been made and the concept has been fully understood, the believer can continue to the business.
6210 Then, once the commitment is completed, you shall disperse through the land and seek the provisions of God, and remember God frequently that you may succeed.
Others basic principles of trading could be find in 2188, 2282, 1735, and 2437.
So that's all my opinion about Salaa.
Peace
-
Peace Twihala,
I am wondering how the concept of wudu might fit into your understanding of salat. Also, why would God ask us not to drink alcohol before your understanding of salat?
Dawn
-
Peace Dawn,
Wudu, it?s all about hygiene. As you can see in Quran, there are so many verses talking about ablution both physically and mentally..
In verse 811, God has sent down the water from the sky to cleanse us, and He has explained how to do it in 56.811 Sleep overcame you to give you tranquility from Him; and He sent down to you water from the sky to cleanse you with it and cause the affliction of the devil to leave you; and so that He may strengthen your hearts and set firm your feet.
56 O you who believe, if you rise to commit (on hygiene), then wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you have had intercourse, then you shall bathe. And if you are ill, or traveling, or you have excreted feces, or you have had sexual contact with the women, and you cannot not find water, then you shall select from the clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and your hands with it. God does not want to place any hardship on you, but He wants to cleanse you and to complete His blessings upon you that you may be thankful.
Allah wants to cleanse the believer, both physically and mentally. And Verse 56 confirming physical ablution.
Some people think that ablution is precondition of Salaa. I think the ablution (physically and mentally) itself is Salaa (commitment on hygiene).Now let's jump into alcohol thing.
443 O you who believe, do not make commitment while you are intoxicated, until you know what you are saying.
Most of commitment made according to the books dealing with other people, such as covenant, marriage, trading, etc. When you made commitment, you have to know for sure what you are saying. Too much alcohol makes you get drunk, and you cannot control your mind and you won't remember what you are saying.
It's very clear after saying unrealized commitment, you will get strife with other people
591 The devil only wants to cause strife between you through intoxicants (khamr) and gambling, and to repel you away from remembering God and from the commitment. Will you be deterred?
Peace
-
Peace Tlihawa,
Thanks for your response. I agree with you with wudu being the salat itself and your explanation of the alcohol issue makes sense.
Dawn.
